CHINA center Yao Ming met with traditional Chinese medicine experts in Beijing on Monday to aid the recovery of his injured foot, local media reported.

They will meet him again later this week to help Yao’s recovery.

The Houston Rockets center, China’s most popular sportsman, had an operation on a fractured foot in February, and faces a race to be fit in time to lead China at the Beijing Olympics in August.

Yao, 27, arrived in Beijing on Thursday night to relax after feeling a “little bored after a month of recovery time in Houston,” Chinese media reported.

“There is no reason to dismiss (traditional Chinese medicine),” Yao said. “It’s been used in our country for thousands of years. I don’t think it’s short on science.”

Yao, who faces up to four months’ recovery time, said he did not think he would miss the Games.

“I’ve started to do some workouts at the gym and everything is going okay for me,” he said.

China’s other NBA export, Milwaukee Bucks forward Yi Jianlian from Shenzhen, will miss the rest of the NBA season after spraining a knee ligament last week, the club said Friday.

Yi is not expected to miss the August Games.

“This is not a good season for us. Injuries are a huge blow for China...but there’s no reason to drop the Olympics just because of the injuries,” Yao said.

Yao said he planned to see his fellow players on the national team and talk with coach Jonas Kazlauskas on strategy for the Beijing Olympics.

Yao planned to return to Houston in time for the playoffs.

“He’s done a stretch of his rehab,” John Huizinga, Yao’s NBA agent, said. “He has a long stretch of rehab coming up. This is a window of time. It’s an opportunity to take a break and get a change of scenery. He wants to be back to be with his Rockets teammates once he is off his crutches for the playoffs, and when that happens he will step up treatment too.”

(SD-Agencies)